Vick, mates trying to stay sharp - just in case

Thursday

EVESHAM - Michael Vick has been doing what a lot of guys do when they have some time off.

He's been golfing.

When the Eagles' quarterback hasn't been working out with his teammates or organizing unofficial practices he's been hitting the links. All spring long, as many days as he can.

"I'm hitting them straight," Vick said a smile. "I'm getting good lift, I have some backspin going with my irons. But I'm still a little inconsistent with my direction."

The same used to be said about Vick's passes.

During his Atlanta Falcons days, Vick's throwing ability took a backseat to his uncanny running ability. Like a golfer who can't control his driver, he was long and wrong on most of his deep passes, and he was off target on some short ones.

Vick, with the help of Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, developed into one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL last year. He's always had a cannon for an arm but learned to throw a laser on target anywhere on the field.

He completed 62.6 of his passes, threw 21 touchdowns and just six interceptions, and finished with a 100.2 quarterback rating.

Vick's passing was particularly impressive during the first half of the season but he tailed off as the season progressed.

That's one of the reasons he would love to see the NFL lockout end soon and why he's been getting together with some of his teammates for unofficial workouts in Evesham.

Teams are banned from team facilities and talking with coaches during the lockout, which has been going on for over two months. So Vick has been getting together with players on his own, including receivers Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Brent Celek and Riley Cooper.

One day the lockout will end and normalcy will return to the NFL and when it does, Vick wants to be ready to get back on the field for real.

"It's starting to get better each and every day," Vick said Wednesday. "We're having fun and at the same time it's a vigorous workout. We're having a great time building that team camaraderie."

Vick has been joined most days by Maclin and Avant, along with tight end Brent Celek. Second-year wide out Riley Cooper has also joined the group, which usually consists of about 15 players, including free agents and local NFL players.

Vick and his receivers have been trying to get their timing down. They don't throw everyday, only because Vick doesn't want to wear his arm out practicing.

"We try to stick to the same regiment as camp," Vick said. "We get our agility stuff in, too."

Wednesday was one of those days.

Offensive guard Todd Herremans and center Jamaal Jackson joined Vick and about a dozen other Eagles players, NFL free agents and local professional players but Vick did not throw a pass.

"As a player you have to learn to do things when no one is around to push you," Avant said. "This is pure football right now. There's no cameras, there are no fans chanting, there are no coaches telling you what to do, it's just football.

"For certain positions, I think something like this helps. For the defensive guys, they like to hit people. But for receivers and quarterbacks, we don't like to be touched. We can throw it around, get our timing back. We know the depth of the routes, we know the plays. We just don't throw and catch, we visualize plays, man coverages and different scenarios. So I think they've definitely been beneficial."

Vick talks about Plaxico

According to a recent story in the New York Daily News, the Eagles may be interested in Plaxico Burress.

The former Giants wide receiver will soon be released from Oneida State Correctional Facility. According to the story, the Eagles have already shown interest in Burress. The story also said the Eagles would be the perfect team for Burress because they've already dealt with one ex-convict in Vick.

Vick said Wednesday he's kept in touch with Burress over the years but has no idea if the Burress-to-the-Eagles rumor may be true.

"I don't know where that came from," Vick said. "I think people are just putting two and two together. You know, we're from the same area (of Virginia), we both went through similar situations.

"We've stayed in contact, I've tried to encourage all the way through. My family knows his family. That's it."

Impressive offseason for Cooper

Some players haven't done much since the end of last season.

Cooper went back to college.

Cooper was at practice Wednesday after spending his offseason finishing up his degree from the University of Florida. He's been at practice for the last two days.

Although the lockout is over two months old, the second-year receiver said his career with the Birds is still on track.

"I'm still getting my work in, still staying in shape," Cooper said. "The lockout isn't hurting me in particular but all of us need our coaches to be out there to help us."

Jeff Offord can be reached at 609-871-8077 or at jofford@phillyBurbs.com

Follow Jeff at twitter/jmofford

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